Australia's Recycled Glass Problem

We're Facing a Recycling Crisis. We Must Fight Against Rubbish.

Phone now for a free quote: 0415 957 658 (phone any time). We offer the best overall value waste removal and service all Sydney Suburbs.

You may have heard in the news recently about Australia having some problems with recycling glass. In short, a lot of our recyclable waste has been sent to China, but with strict contamination restrictions this is no longer worthwhile. Currently, recycling glass is not viable in Australia because it is cheaper to import glass products than it is to recycle and recreate them. Most Australians have easy access to a curbside recycle bin, where glass bottles and jars make up a significant amount of the garbage put into them. For many, glass is one of the items that has always been thought of going in the definitely recyclable category. However, for months now, many large recycling companies have been stockpiling glass because they don’t know what to do with it! There have even been some sneaky interstate transfers being made to avoid fines – truckloads of items that are considered recyclable being shifted across the border and being dumped in landfill.

This does not sit well with our team here at Dirt Cheap Rubbish Removal. Unfortunately, we don’t have much to do with the recycling/disposal side of things, as we just collect from homes and business and take to the appropriate recycling or disposal facility. We’re more in the business of large items that can’t fit in the curbside bin, but that doesn’t mean we don’t care about this type of garbage too! If we all ignore the problem, it is likely that nothing will happen, and these environmentally destructive practices will continue. You can do your part by reducing the amount of waste that you produce. In New South Wales alone, there is around 460,000 tonnes of used glass produced every year, if everyone tried to reduce the amount of glass waste they produce, thousands of tonnes could easily be saved.

As disturbing as some of these news stories are, we’re happy to see them – we feel there needs to be more awareness around rubbish related issues. What we like the most is the response that is received from them. When enough people hear things like this, some of them act upon it, and there is a lot of talk about how Australia can overcome this glass waste problem. One option that some other countries currently use is making compulsory designs to glass packaging, so that instead of turning items into glass pieces and then recreating products, items are just washed and sterilised and then sold to be used again. This solution would be ideal, however, it’s never going to cover everything, as a lot of glass would get broken in the process and need to go through a normal recycling process. We hope that technology improves enough in the near future so that Australia can efficiently recycle everything locally, the addition of packaging restrictions would be a bonus!

We Can't Solve Australia's Problems, but We Can Solve Yours

If you’ve got your own problems with waste and your home is becoming a bit of a garbage stockpile, there’s no better number to call than 0415 957 658. Dirt Cheap Rubbish Removal can take away all your junk in no time and we’ll have it recycled too. It doesn't matter the size of it, large items like fridges and freezers are some of our regular favourits. Based on the above and what has been uncovered recently in the media, we can’t guarantee all glass will be recycled, but we’ll certainly make sure that everything is taken to a recycling facility that accepts your items. Whether you're in Sydney's CBD, Bondi, Caringbah in the Sutherland Shire, or anywhere in Sydney, our team can come to you.

What are you waiting for
Phone our friendly staff now on 0415 957 658. We look forward to assisting with all of your rubbish removal needs.

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Thanks for the quick pick up and same day service. Done a cheap pick up on a sunday even though the tips were closed, and still charged normal rate! You're a life saver. You guys are the best! Thanks again